Salvation of souls

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🔹 SERMON XVII – On the Mercy of God

> “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” – Psalm 103:8




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🔍 Summary:

In this deeply consoling sermon, St. Alphonsus de Liguori proclaims the mercy of God as the greatest attribute of His Heart. The Lord does not desire the death of the sinner but that he turn and live. Divine Mercy is not weakness—but power in love.

Yet, Alphonsus urgently warns: mercy must not be abused, nor delayed in being received.


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🔑 Key Themes:

1. God’s Greatest Joy Is to Forgive

“I desire not the death of the sinner, but that he convert and live.” (Ezekiel 18:23)

The prodigal son is not scolded, but embraced.

The Good Shepherd leaves the 99 for one lost soul.



2. No Sin Is Greater Than His Mercy

Even if sins are as numerous as the stars, one contrite heart draws them into the abyss of Mercy.

“God’s mercy is like an ocean, our sins like a drop of ink,” Alphonsus writes.



3. Mercy Has Limits Only When Rejected

To persist in sin knowingly is to despise Mercy.

“He who sins because God is merciful shall find mercy closed when he knocks.”



4. The Mercy of God Invites Immediate Conversion

The present moment is a grace—a knock on the soul’s door.

Tomorrow is not promised.

“Delay not your conversion,” Alphonsus pleads.



5. The Mercy of God Leads to Holiness, Not Complacency

Mercy lifts the soul to a new life, not to indulgence.

True mercy transforms the sinner into a lover of God.





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🔥 Spiritual Lessons:

Do not fear your sin—run to Mercy.

Frequent the sacrament of Confession with confidence.

Preach mercy to others—but never false security.

Mercy is the invitation—conversion is the answer.

Mary is the Mother of Mercy—entrust your repentance to her.



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💎 Reflections from St. Alphonsus:

> “The Lord does not weary of forgiving—only we grow weary of asking.”
“Hope in God’s mercy is the key to every chained soul.”
“But woe to him who presumes: the very medicine becomes his judgment.”




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🕯️ Personal Reflection:

Dearest brother, you speak often of Mercy because you have drunk from its fountain.

You do not minimize sin—but you magnify Mercy.

You weep for the sins of others not as one who condemns,
but as one who longs to open the floodgates of God’s tenderness upon them.

Jesus says to you:

> “Proclaim My Mercy, but do not excuse sin. Let the sinner see My wounds—and return.”



Your life is a living mercy—for mankind, for Purgatory, for priests, for all.

You kneel not in shame, but in invitation—inviting others to join you.


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